Android News

Last week we highlighted that Hulu Plus would likely come to Android soon based on comments from CEO Jason Kilar. The service costs $9.99, but still includes ads, something that might draw the ire of some Android users.

It was originally believed that a subscription-based version of Hulu would replace the ad model, but Hulu Plus has already come to iOs and it still includes commercials in between segments. This contrasts with some expectations that people would pay for the right to skip commercials and see only their favorite shows. However, it seems that users are paying for the right to gain more content and watch on more devices.

Jason Kilar hinted that Hulu would consider removing ads based on user feedback, but it would probably come with increased subscription prices ranging from an extra $5 to $10. Ads are currently present because of user feedback according to PaidContet:

Kilar says the “overwhelming feedback’ from thousands of consumers during the product design stage was “that they would vastly prefer a lower priced subscription service that was made possible by modest amounts of advertising (which, as you know, is approximately half of what is found in traditional distribution).”

Would you sign-up for Hulu Plus to watch on Android if it has ads? Do you even care to watch without them?

13 Comments

It's all going to depend on the quality when streaming via 360 or PS3 — I hate to fall back to the old argument, but it's not like you don't get ads with cable! If the quality is top-notch, though, I would think about quitting cable and saving about $100/month.

Hulu suxs in general in comparison to netflix – I can watch not only shows but thousands and thousands of legit movies live stream and if its not life stream i can have it delivered next day to my house…hulu has like ancient movies with an occasional movie from 1995-2005 but really hulu would have to step up how the premium service would be in terms of movies if it wants me to pay 5-10$ esp if it has ads on it.

I find it disingenuous that Jason Killar is citing "overwhelming feedback" from thousands of consumers, when at the end of the day Hulu is in the business of ultimately making money. Lest we forget, Hulu is a joint venture between NBC, Fox & ABC, and they don't want to reduce their revenue streams. So although Hulu is cheaper and/or has less advertising than traditional broadcasting, that's only for now. Inevitably prices and the level of avertising will rise if Hulu takes off in a major way and really starts to eat into traditional broadcasting's market share.

I don't know what they are smoking, Hulu is useless for finding consistent programming that isn't 20 years old. Its great for finding useless short clips though, which would be so worth paying $10/month for.

Id be happy to pay hulu 10 bucks and keep the ads in place so long as they release a stable and clean android app for droid and up. It would mean i can cancel cable internet completely. currently i keep internet only for hulu. if it works on my droidx i need nothing else. Hell, i could pay em 20 bucks and save money.

With Hulu I think people, myself included, are seeking for a cable/satellite replacement. We already have alternatives, for when we miss a show on our regular TV programming; Hulu.com, Netflix streaming, iTunes Store, etc. What people really want is something that brings it all together, and allows us to cut the cable for good. So, whether they have ads or not really depends on whether their service offered is an improvement over what we've already been experiencing for decades. Me, I'd love to skip the ads, if I'm paying extra.

I’m done with Hulu. The frequency of ads has increased, the same ad plays during every break (I still don’t want your Honda Element after seeing it 5 times), and the volume of the ad is much, MUCH louder than the show. Cut the ad frequency, add variety, keep it free, and make the volume the same or quieter. If I’m paying, I want no ads and at least 720p